International man of mystery —

"I miss my prior life…No baths, poor food.”

UPDATE: Many sites have pointed out that Vice Magazine, which is accompanying John McAfee as he runs away from Belizean law enforcement, seems to have accidentally revealed his location taken by an accompanying reporter. Based on the location data in the photo's metadata (EXIF), at least at the time of that photo, he was in Guatemala, just over the border from Belize. For what it's worth, McAfee now claims that the Guatemala GPS location was fake, too. In any case for all folks who want a little more privacy with their photos, here's some tips from Lifehacker. Still, McAfee adds: "I do not believe that Vice will remain with me further. Again, my apologies."

A few weeks ago, founder of McAfee Security John McAfee (he no longer has any connection to the company), was named by Belizean authorities as a “person of interest” in the murder of another American expatriate also living in the Central American country. Since then, McAfee has been on the lam, somehow managing to evade authorities in a country with 300,000 residents living in an area slightly smaller than Massachusetts.

After rumors of his arrest on his own website over the weekend, McAfee now reports that he is “safe" and outside of Belize for the moment, but he plans on returning.

“I apologize for the silence, and misdirection,” he wrote on his own blog on Monday morning.

“I am currently safe and in the company of two intrepid journalist [sic] from Vice Magazine, and, of course, Sam,” using the name of his 20-year-old female companion.

The New York Times aptly described McAfee’s blog in a lengthy profile over the weekend as “Amnesty International meets Hugh Hefner as played by Jean Valjean, the unfairly hounded peasant of ‘Les Misérables.’”

Since leaving the well-known security firm that he helped to create, McAfee, 67, has been on a strange odyssey of adventurism, entrepreneurialism and pranks that may verge on hucksterism.

The bottom line, as many reporters who have tried to follow this story and all the weirdness that preceded it, is that it’s hard to know how much of McAfee's story is true.

“We are not in Belize, but not quite out of the woods yet. I will do a more detailed posting later today if all goes well,” McAfee continued. “My ‘double,’ carrying on a North Korean passport under my name, was in fact detained in Mexico for pre-planned misbehavior, but due to indifference on the part of authorities was evicted from the jail and was unable to serve his intended purpose in our exit plan. He is now safely out of Mexico.”

Assuming McAfee can be taken at his word, combined with confirmation from Time reporter Sam Gustin that McAfee left Belize by land, means that McAfee is either in Mexico or Guatemala, the only two countries that border it.

Still, McAfee managed to find time to speak with CNN on Friday in Belize, replete with changing phone numbers and passphrases ("Sorry I'm late." / "That's OK, we are waiting for our co-worker.")

"It hasn't been a lot of fun,” McAfee told CNN. “I miss my prior life. Much of it has been deprivation. No baths, poor food.”

All of this is bizarre. I can't help but think I'd pay good money to watch a some sort of TV show with McAfee, Kim Dot.com, Kim Jong-un, that lawyer guy who-is-not-to-be-named and wife, John Steele, and a few others that I'm missing at the moment.

Reality show or standard sit com, hilarity would soon ensue either way.

All of this is bizarre. I can't help but think I'd pay good money to watch a some sort of TV show with McAfee, Kim Dot.com, Kim Jong-un, that lawyer guy who-is-not-to-be-named and wife, John Steele, and a few others that I'm missing at the moment.

Reality show or standard sit com, hilarity would soon ensue either way.

Assuming everything he says is true (and that's a big "if," everything he writes reeks of paranoid delusion), why in the world would he return to Belize? Get out and get to the US, where at least the government might hear your side before handing you over.

Assuming everything he says is true (and that's a big "if," everything he writes reeks of paranoid delusion), why in the world would he return to Belize? Get out and get to the US, where at least the government might hear your side before handing you over.

Makes for interesting conversation anyway. Truth > Fiction.

He can't come to the US because he fled the US to Belize over a wrongful death lawsuit from some stupid sport he created, aerotrek.

I can't help but read all of McAfee's quotes in Robert Downey Jr.'s voice. This is exactly what I would expect from him if he was evading capture.

I am enjoying the coverage on this as it unfolds. He's a pioneer of the 'Net, regardless of how you feel about McAfee products.

edit: @PMD - A lot of successful startups are run by people who sometimes borderline on sociopathic behavior at times. Those tendencies don't always manifest themselves in a negative or nonproductive way.

Is this story really worthy of either the staff or readers of Ars? As noted in the first line, McAfee is no longer connected to the tech company that bears his name. His exploits since leaving have been off the wall and sometime make for a good story: they've been covered in detail by Wired, Ars' sister-publication. However, their relevance to the world of current tech is tenuous.

Also, in the context of an active murder investigation, this kind of reporting is lending a potential felon more of the media attention he seems to crave, without providing substantive information. I think Ars should pass on future updates until there is something concrete to report (e.g. capture, conviction, being cleared of suspicion, etc.) or better yet, spend time on more relevant topics and leave this to the tabloids.

Yeah, I have to agree. The guy is some sort of attention craving wacko without an ounce of common sense from what I can tell. If it wasn't for the fact that he was apparently wealthy at one time he'd be beneath notice as just another example of how stupid people often end up on the wrong side of the law. Let it go.

Is this story really worthy of either the staff or readers of Ars? As noted in the first line, McAfee is no longer connected to the tech company that bears his name. His exploits since leaving have been off the wall and sometime make for a good story: they've been covered in detail by Wired, Ars' sister-publication. However, their relevance to the world of current tech is tenuous.

Also, in the context of an active murder investigation, this kind of reporting is lending a potential felon more of the media attention he seems to crave, without providing substantive information. I think Ars should pass on future updates until there is something concrete to report (e.g. capture, conviction, being cleared of suspicion, etc.) or better yet, spend time on more relevant topics and leave this to the tabloids.

Yeah, I have to agree. The guy is some sort of attention craving wacko without an ounce of common sense from what I can tell. If it wasn't for the fact that he was apparently wealthy at one time he'd be beneath notice as just another example of how stupid people often end up on the wrong side of the law. Let it go.

I liked the quote in the New York Times article about how to catch McAfee: Declare him a person of non-interest, and he'd turn himself in for the attention.

Is this story really worthy of either the staff or readers of Ars? As noted in the first line, McAfee is no longer connected to the tech company that bears his name. His exploits since leaving have been off the wall and sometime make for a good story: they've been covered in detail by Wired, Ars' sister-publication. However, their relevance to the world of current tech is tenuous.

More than just Wired. CNN, Good Morning America, NBC, all of the major news networks have this story on their radar and even have journalists in Belize trying to track him down to talk with him. This must've been a perfect mix of "too strange to be true" for the major news outlets to pass up.

This article gives McAfee the drug he seems to crave more than any other: attention. Is profiting marginally from an article describing his antics reason enough to pander to his addiction? What's the cliche we all know and love... "don't feed the troll"? McAfee is a troll if ever there was one.

This article gives McAfee the drug he seems to crave more than any other: attention. Is profiting marginally from an article describing his antics reason enough to pander to his addiction? What's the cliche we all know and love... "don't feed the troll"? McAfee is a troll if ever there was one.

Sorry but the troll description just doesn't work in this context. Now if it was MacApple then you would have a troll fest a plenty. See how it works.

Assuming everything he says is true (and that's a big "if," everything he writes reeks of paranoid delusion), why in the world would he return to Belize? Get out and get to the US, where at least the government might hear your side before handing you over.

Makes for interesting conversation anyway. Truth > Fiction.

He can't come to the US because he fled the US to Belize over a wrongful death lawsuit from some stupid sport he created, aerotrek.

Citation needed.

No searches I was able to do turned up any outstanding legal issues from any civil or criminal suit/action that would prevent him from returning to the US.

This article (link posted below) does not mention anything about McAfee's outstanding legal issues in the US, but it does outline his association with aerotrekking." In 2006, a man was killed while flying as a passenger on one of McAfee’s ultralites and his family launched a multi-million dollar wrongful death suit against him. In 2008, McAfee re-located to Belize, building a beachfront house on Ambergris Cay."

Assuming everything he says is true (and that's a big "if," everything he writes reeks of paranoid delusion), why in the world would he return to Belize? Get out and get to the US, where at least the government might hear your side before handing you over.

Makes for interesting conversation anyway. Truth > Fiction.

He can't come to the US because he fled the US to Belize over a wrongful death lawsuit from some stupid sport he created, aerotrek.

Citation needed.

No searches I was able to do turned up any outstanding legal issues from any civil or criminal suit/action that would prevent him from returning to the US.

Assuming everything he says is true (and that's a big "if," everything he writes reeks of paranoid delusion), why in the world would he return to Belize? Get out and get to the US, where at least the government might hear your side before handing you over.

Makes for interesting conversation anyway. Truth > Fiction.

He can't come to the US because he fled the US to Belize over a wrongful death lawsuit from some stupid sport he created, aerotrek.

Citation needed.

No searches I was able to do turned up any outstanding legal issues from any civil or criminal suit/action that would prevent him from returning to the US.

I am now so curious about this companion. what does she look like and what is her story, since even if everything McAFee says is true (which I take with a large grain of salt), it makes me wonder about somebody that will stay with him in these circumstances. but then again.. shes less than 1/3 his age, so maybe that answers at least a good portion of my question as to why shes still with him.

anybody have a link for a picture or good article on his companion? (btw, what about the two reporters... what are they up to in all this?)

Assuming everything he says is true (and that's a big "if," everything he writes reeks of paranoid delusion), why in the world would he return to Belize? Get out and get to the US, where at least the government might hear your side before handing you over.

Makes for interesting conversation anyway. Truth > Fiction.

He can't come to the US because he fled the US to Belize over a wrongful death lawsuit from some stupid sport he created, aerotrek.

Citation needed.

No searches I was able to do turned up any outstanding legal issues from any civil or criminal suit/action that would prevent him from returning to the US.

I can't find where I read it, but it was around the time the first articles about the above incident was posted. It said that he lost the wrongful death suet and went to Belize so he didn't have to pay. I could be wrong.

http://adventure.nationalgeographic.com ... lynes-textI can't find where I read it, but it was around the time the first articles about the above incident was posted. It said that he lost the wrongful death suet and went to Belize so he didn't have to pay. I could be wrong.

I've seen those clams, but no actual evidence. I don't have much of an opinion about McAfee, though I hated the AV software in the late 90's. But the allegations against him seem almost as baseless as his claims/stories/fantasies.

I guess I'd just like to have real evidence about him rather than speculation about what might be. As far as liabilities here in the states, I can't find any.

All of this is bizarre. I can't help but think I'd pay good money to watch a some sort of TV show with McAfee, Kim Dot.com, Kim Jong-un, that lawyer guy who-is-not-to-be-named and wife, John Steele, and a few others that I'm missing at the moment.

Reality show or standard sit com, hilarity would soon ensue either way.